TV debut lined up for Xbox 2

Microsoft is getting a headstart in the next round of video game wars with a star-studded television special showcasing the successor to its Xbox.

The 30-minute special, called The Next Generation Xbox Revealed, will air on MTV in the United States on May 12 and worldwide on May 13, Microsoft announced this week.

The show, hosted by Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood, will feature celebrity interviews and appearances, including Las Vegas rockers The Killers.

MTV is not available in New Zealand, but a Microsoft spokesman said negotiations were under way to air the show either on C4 or by web streaming.

The TV special is an unusual move in that the new console - codenamed "Xenon" and likely to be called Xbox 360 - is expected to make its debut four days later at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles.

The preview means Microsoft will get an early leg-up on rivals Sony and Nintendo, which are also expected to debut their next-generation consoles at the E3 event.

Microsoft has been tight-lipped about the new console's details, but chairman Bill Gates has said the plan all along was to make it more than a video games machine - "part of our vision of the digital lifestyle".

The company wants the console to act as a complete home entertainment system, capable of handling DVDs and mp3s and being internet-ready.

As a result, the new console is expected to have improved online and media capabilities.

Although Microsoft has yet to name a release date, Goldman Sachs expects it to arrive in the US in time for Christmas and ship 3 million units before year's end.

Microsoft's spokesman said the console would hit New Zealand early next year. Sony and Nintendo are not expected to release their new machines until later in 2006.